I'm heading towards getting one, but I'd like to get some more information on the heat issues with it and stacking.

I agree.

The other thing is... there are many more options out there.
The thing I like about these stackable models is they complement the mini's looks. However, it's easy enough to hide an external hard drive.

I like the looks of the Lacie drives and those ones that look like the front of a PowerMac. I plan on moving up to a PowerMac down the road, so I'd rather buy accessories to complement it. (I better not buy that Dell monitor )

I plan on moving up to a PowerMac down the road, so I'd rather buy accessories to complement it. (I better not buy that Dell monitor )

That one of the nice things about the Mac mini that isn't often mentioned. Not only did it give the potential switcher a price point they could swallow...the fact that it is not integrated with a display like the eMacs/iMacs makes it easy for the switcher to then move up to a PowerMac later on. (once Apple has won them over with the nirvana that is OS X!)_________________ -=iMav=- http://geekhack.org

You don't own one and cant really make an opinion based on experience and you either: don't like it, like it or like it enough to have bought one.

If you use a 1-2-3-4-5 (called a 5 point lykerd scale by the way) it does not separate those who own it from those who don't.

If you do not own one then an opinion is really based on hearsay from reading the boards. Unless its based on price or not enough ports...

Either way we cant make all the polls 1-5. From a research point of view what does a 5 or a 4 mean. Some that is far more subjective to interpretation.

Also: Just so you know....I tend to ramble.

I agree. A number scale just doesn't offer details. It shows how many people think what, but that's about it. It is only useful if the numbers are clearly defined for that they stand for, which would basically make it a poll like Ninja made here, though he has 6 options.

For those of you that buy the miniStack can you comment on the color compared to the mini. From some of the photos I've seen the paint is pretty close. On others it looks quite a bit darker (grey).

I'm thinking some of the early models don't match as well.

It is just a tad darker than the Mini however not so much so that it is distracting. You may find variations in the color from different "batches" as well I would suppose. As I said, its really not that different. Sometimes it can be the lighting that really enhances or diminishes the difference which may be the variation you are seeing in photographs._________________2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM
miniStack 500GB
Dell 1905FP
Logitech Wave Cordless Desktop

Someone posted on the forums somewhere that their miniStack has pretty much no color difference compared to the Mini. It was supposedly a way better match than the one this site reviewed._________________Computer Engineer
Junior, Brown University
15" NC8430 HP Laptop
1.42Ghz PPC Mac Mini, 1Gb RAM, 1st Gen
40GB G4 iPod
2GB Black iPod Nano

Guys, the fan in the ministack is noisy - buzzy to be exact. I have a 400GB unit (ordered as such) that I boot off of and the ministack fan always spins up about 15-20 minutes after I boot. It stays on until I shut the mini down, which in turn makes the ministack drive spin down, which in turn (some minutes after shutdown) makes the ministack fan spin down.

I'm getting somewhat used to it but perhaps if I'd done more research I might have ordered the minimate which is more expensive per GB but is fanless from what I understand.

I have my mini and ministack standing on end so heat is not an issue for me per se - I can slide them apart by several inches but the ministack fan nonetheless stays on.